Sweet Basil and the Bee: Olive harvest begins at Iserns' olive grove

Rice harvest, delayed by wet fields from last week's rain is nearing completion, and olive harvest is about to start. This year's olive harvest, according to Lola Isern of Isern Olive Oil, is going to be good. The trees are loaded, and so beautiful she invited us to their groves to take a look. ?

The Iserns' grove, about 17 acres of organic Frantoio, Red Leccino and Hojiblanca olive trees, was planted six years ago and the trees are pendulous with fruit at varying degrees of ripeness, from bright green to purplish black. The trees take three years to fruit and with care will be productive for 80 years.

After careful monitoring, Antonio Isern started harvest on Friday because "When you are producing really good oil, you have to pick when the olives are at their maximum level of polyphenols," and the time is right.?

Each olive variety ripens differently, and on a given tree, olives may be green, black or mottled. What he is looking for is "envero," a Spanish term for a mottled green color, or a blend of green and black that refers both to an individual olive and the tree as a whole. A cluster of olives at the end of a branch demonstrates envero with two green, two black and two mottled olives. The entire tree is picked at one time and the proportion of green to black olives has much to do with the ending flavor profile of the oil. Antonio also cuts into the olive fruit, looking for a cream, not green interior which is not always indicated by the outside color.

"It's difficult to get good quality," says Antonio, whose history with olives goes back 81 years to Andalusia, Spain and the family farm in Jaen. Antonio grew up in Andalusia and developed a new hedgerow intensive planting technique for growing olives at the University of Seville. He has consulted with and advised olive growers in Mexico, Argentina and California, and in 1988 moved his family to Northern California to produce and market their own high quality oil.

"Buying olive oil is not like buying light bulbs," says Antonio, referring to the variables in the process which have a profound effect on flavor and quality in oil. Primarily, it's about sun, water and pruning, but passionate and obsessive attention to detail about how the tree is pruned, when the olives are harvested, how the fruit is handled and how quickly the fruit is crushed determine the highest quality of olive oil.

This year's abundant olive harvest is complicated by a shortage of pickers. The price of hand-harvesting has increased considerably with labor contractors charging $800 to $1,000 a ton to harvest olives that last year were harvested for $350 a ton, according to the Iserns. So although the crop is bountiful, there may be an increase in price for olive oil and olive products in 2013.?

Mechanical harvesting is unacceptable to Antonio and Lola Isern because it bruises the surface of the olives, which causes oxidation to begin immediately. In Extra Virgin Olive Oil, the flavor of the oil is the flavor of the fruit, and oxidation of the fatty acids in the olive fruit causes a sensory defect in the flavor.

EVO, or Extra Virgin Olive, oil refers to the highest quality, best and most expensive oil. It should have no defects and a flavor of fresh olives. Pure Olive Oil or Olive Oil is made from defective olive oil that has been refined to remove the defects. This almost tasteless, colorless and odorless oil is then mixed with a small quantity of extra virgin grade oil to give it some flavor.

In addition to meeting the International Olive Council's standards for the classification of Extra Virgin, look for specific flavor characteristics of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, as identified by Paul Vossen, olive expert from the University of California Cooperative Extension:

3. Pungent: Creating a pleasant burning sensation in the mouth and throat. Pungency starts at the mouth and has a delayed reaction in the throat, often causing a cough reaction. Highly pungent oils are often referred to as a "three cough" or a "four cough" oil.

When buying oil, look for recently made oil. Oil will keep in a cool, dark cupboard for 18-24 months, but is best within a year.

Watch for the first of the Iserns' fresh oil at the Saturday Market either this Saturday or Nov. 24.

Nancy Lindahl features the vast culinary choices that abound in our farmers markets and backyard gardens. Sweet Basil and the Bee runs the second and fourth Wednesdays. Email to zookeeny@gmail.com.

Market Watch

Fat, rosy pomegranates, yellow wax beans, dark green Italian parsley and ?small magenta sweet potatoes ? the market is a kaleidoscope of fall colors. The next stall has deep saturated purple eggplants next to intensely orange small pie pumpkins, with a pop of bright green celery.?

But it's California Organic Flowers that takes my breath away ? it's a feast of colors from canopy to asphalt, and alive with customers on this bright, sunny November Saturday. This is definitely the place to get flowers for your Thanksgiving table ? and support the local celery crop when you're making stuffing!? According to Bruce from Riparian Farms its difficult to grow, but has great flavor compared to grocery-store celery.